Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

The Abbeville Chronicle VOL. II. TAK1N0 DEPOSITIONS OF SURVI VORS OF THE MAINE. WILL RETURN LATER TO HAVANA. The Official* nt Washington Do Not Ex pect » Final Report, For Some Week* Yet. A telegram was received at the department lato Monday afternoon from Admiral Sicard, at Key West, iu the following terms: “Key West, February 28.—To the tary of the Navy, Washington: Court inquiry will commence session at West today. They must resume at Havana to obtain evidence of divers after further work upon the wreck. 1 ‘Sicard.” The important feature of this com munication is the declaration that the court will return to Havana. It sets at rest rumors that have beei afloat for some days past that the court was not to return to Havana for the reason that it had discovered the cause of the sinking of the Maine, which was not an accident, and that, consequently, they had no further bus iness in Havana. One important deduction to be drawn from the message was that the report of the court of inquiry can scarcely be expected for several weeks to come. The court will be occupied at Key West for some days at least in taking the testimony of the survivors there. Then upon the return to Havana it is expected that a good deal of time must elapse before the divers can get through the mud that now' encom passes the lower part of the wreck of the Maine and examine the bottom. After this is done the court must de liberate in order to secure an agree ment upon their findings. The preva lent belief at the navy department is that up to this moment the court has not once undertaken to compare notes and endeavor to reach such an agree ment. ASKS FOR TWENTY MILLIONS For Strengthening Our Navy—Resolution Was Referred. A Washington special says: The house passed the sundry civil appro priation bill Monday after a four days’ debate. The Cuban question was injected into the session by Mr. Bromwell, re publican, of Ohio, who presented the following resolution: “That the secretary of the navy be, and be is hereby authorized whenever in bis judgment it shall become expe dient for the best interests of the country to do so, to secure options up on and consummate the purchase of such battleships, cruisers, rams, tor pedo boats or other form of naval vessels as are-of the modern type and ready for immediate use; together with the necessary armament and equip ment for the same as in his the judgment are necessary to place naval strength of the country upon a proper footing for immediate hostilities with any foreign power with which the same may be threatened; and that for the purpose of consummating such pur chases there is hereby appropriated the sum of $20,000,000 to he immedi ately available.” Tt was referred to the naval com mittee. CORBETT LOSES SEAT. Senate, By an Emphatic Vote, Settle* the Matter For Good. A Washington special says: By a vote so large as to settle forever the principle involved, the senate Monday refused to admit H. W. Corbett to membership in that body as a senator from Oregon. The vote against ad mission was 40 to 19—larger than ex pected and so decisive in its character as to be a notice on the part of the senate to legislatures having had the opportunity to do so and failing to fill a vacancy in the senate, that failure will be taken as priina facie evidence that the state does not desire to have her vacancy filled and the appointee of the governor after such failure to elect will not be recognized by the senate. The effect of this act will be to put an end to juggling and manipulation for the purpose of creating deadlocks and giving governors an opportunity to appoint. ENGLAND WILL “HANDS OFF.” London Paper Says That Briton* Cannot Help .Spaniard*. The London Daily News comment ing editorially on the relations be tween the United States and Spain, says: dim expect support,moral “Spain England no against or otherwise, front the United States. She has ruined Cuba, as she has ruined or lost every other colony, by the grossest corrup tion, cruelty and maladministration, and she must be left.to settle the ac count for its policy with those whom it may concern without any aid or sympathy on our part.” ABBEVILLE. GA.. THURSDAY MARCH 3, 1898. SOUTHERN PRO CRESS. The New Imlu»trl«-» Katwhllsheit liiiring til© Past Week. No general statement can be made on tlie entire southern market, save that mere or less improvement may be looked for as the spring comes on. In the matter of export business, conditions and prospects vary ex tremely at different points; an over stock of sawn timber at Mobile, with exports much below those for the same period last year, while Norfolk reports active trade and heavy foreign demand for box grades at good prices, and a short supply. The Mexican trade helps sustain Texas prices and busi ness, though more than one gulf port west of New Orleans complnin of high steam freights as the greatest detri ment to foreign trade just now, com bined with too low a freight estimate of the money value, though not the utility and desirability of pitch pine, for which shippers seem to have been too anxious to find a foreign customer regardless of price. Interior trade is satisfactory at all points; medium grades being most in demand at Mobile, poplar and both plain and quartered red and white oak at Nashville, and all upper grades of hardwood at St. Louis. At Nashville log prices have ruled very high, but a tide, bringing down the tied-up crafts, will tend to bring down prices as well. More attention may well be paid to red cedar, as active demand is reported from several points. On the whole, inferior grades of lumber are losers just now, and will be more so, while the demand as well as the price for upper grades of all kinds will improve. Two remarkable features are a heavy single call by a Mexican railroad on a Texas mill for 2,000,000 feet of stuff, mainly ties, shipment by rail to begin March 1st, and a week’s export of 270,000 feet of lumber to Manzanillo, Cuba. The southern furnace men seem to have agreed at Birmingham on a basis of prices and co-operstion to maintain them. Demand is good, and the fur naces should do well enough this spring. But in the absence of a uni form system of grading price cutting will surely continue. A new by-product plant at Birming hrm will duplicate the Sloss plant at Ensley. The Sloss people will furnish the coal and receive coke in return, the by-products representing the new concern’s expenses and profit. The superior facilities in the south for the manufacture of textile goods continues to appeal to capitalists in the south as well as in the north and several new plants have been project ed the past week in which soul hern capital is taking the lead. In New England the situation continues to re ceive the careful investigation of mill owners and a special legislative com mittee, and the prediction seems justi fied that at no distant day there will be an alliance of New England capital with the south’s capital and natural advantages for the production of all grades of textile goods that will bring the south to the position in this indus try she should occupy, by reason of labor,clime, legislation and location as regards supply of raw material. In new enterprises for the past week lumber leads, with sawmills at Clutt-s ville and Jemison, Ala.; Keo, Sedg wick, Mena, Wesson, Pine Bluff, Ark.; Donaldsonville and Jokin, Ga.; Hale, Miss.; Aberdeen and Hertford, N. C.; Bath, Swansea and Columbia, S. C. Box factories at Helena, Ark.; Louis ville, Ky.; Vilasco, Tex., and Ridley’s Station, Ya.; and planing mills at Calera, Ala.; Statesboro, Ga.; McHen ry, Miss.; Hickory, NT C.; Dallas, Tex., and Fayetteville, W. Va. Georgia reports two planing mills and North Carolina one; and a rope mill is promised at Jackson, Miss. In a general way, improvement con tinues; brick works, a fertilizer facto ry, canning factory, carriage factory, harness factory, nail works and tobac co factory are noted.—Tradesman (Chattanooga, Teun.) SILVER REPUBLICANS ACT. The Manifesto Issued liy National Chair man Indorsed In Conference. A conference of silver republicans from all sections of Idaho was held at Boise City last Monday. After an interesting and lengthy discussion, resolutions were passed in dorsing the recent manifesto issued by -itional chairman of the silver party recommending fusion. FIT/ IS WILLING. Champion Says lie Will Meet Kid Me Coy at Any Time. Bob Fitzsimmons expresses a wil lingness to fight Kid McCoy. Fitz simmons says. “I will fight McCoy any time he puts up enough money to make it worth my while. McCoy and Ruhlin have no more right to fight for the championship than a yellow dog. I will fight McCoy any second he puts up the stuff. McCoy is a miserable up start. He lias been a little successful and it ban made liim daffy. The kid has the swell head and he thinks he is in the heavyweight class. SEVEN OF ITS OCCUPANTS HURL ED INTO ETERNITY. BODIES SCATTERED PROMISCUOSLY. A Number of lb« Victims Ground to Piece* Under Wheels—Non© In the Vehicle Escape Injury. A ’buss filled with pleasure seekers was struck by a Grand Trunk passen ger train at the Western Avenue cross ing south of Blue island iu the south western part of Chicago nt 9 o'clock Saturday night. Seven of the number were killed and noue of tlie occupants of the vehicle escaped without injury. The dead are: Mary Rietz, 17 years old. Jennie Willette, 18 years old. Sophia Van Buren, 15 years old. Louis Sauerbier, 14 years old, Fred Pelky, 20 years old. Unidentified woman, taken to Went Harvey. George Sauerbier, driver, collarbone broken and severely bruised. ThomaB Hayes, spine injured and ribs broken; cannot recover. There were but four couples in the -pleasure party, fourteen others who were to have gone having remained to take another ’bus. The train which collided with the omnibus was bound toward Chicago. It was behind time as it approached Blue Island from the southeast and was going at a high rate of speed. As the ’bus rounded a curve in the road the train was seen approaching. A slight down grade prevented the driver from stopping the vehicle, ns it slipped on the ice and snow, and just as the frightened horses leaped across the railway tracks the heavy locomo tive struck the frail vehicle fairly in the middle, hurling human bodies and fragments of debris far from the tracks and continuing on its northward jour ney several hundred feet before it could be stopped, passing over several bodies in its progress. TEX FIREMEN KILLED. Explosion in IlniTiini; linildini; Causes Fearful Disaster. Fire broke out in Hall Brothers’ laboratory at Kalamazoo, Mich., at 10 Saturday night and while the firemen were trying to put the fire out in the second story a terrific explosion took place, blowing up the entire sido of the building. The first explosion was followed by two others. Firemen on the ladder were blown in every direction by the fearful concussion. The flames shot high into the air and it looked for a moment as if there would be a great conflagration. The crowd was dazed by the explo sion. Horses were thrown down and windows in the vicinity shattered. Work of rescue began at once and the building was left to its doom. The total number of known dead is ten. The list is as follows: George Holliday, engine driver. Pat McHugh, pipemau. John Hastings, Jr,, hoseman. Charles Whiting, spectator. James Quigley, spectator. William Wager, fireman. L. L. Holliday, druggist. Frank Auwers, fireman. Engeue Dole, fireman. Joseph Clifford, telephone lineman. Fourteen persons were more or Jess seriously injured. Other bodies are supposed to lie still in the building, as two boys, Phillips and West, and a Michigan Central brakemau are missing. SOUTHERN BUYS ROAD. The M. * V. Sold to Highest lihlder For »2,fiOO.OOO. The Memphis and Charleston rail road, extending southeast from Mem phis, Tenn., to Stevenson, Ala., a distance of 290 miies, was sold at pub lic outcry at noon Saturday. The Southern Railroad company bought the property at the upset price of $2,500,000, there being no other bid ders. The sale was made necessary be cause of default in the payment of In terest on the road’s bonded debt. The Memphis and Charleston has been in the hands of a receiver for many years. Of late it has boon operated on a pay ing business, and is considered a val uable piece of railroad property. WILLIAM SINCERITY DEAD. Proprietor of Philadelphia Record and President of Broken Rank. William YI. Singerly died suddenly at his residence in Philadelphia Bun day afternoon, aged sixty-six yeuis. Heart disease was the immediate cause of death. Mr. Singerly was proprietor of the Record Publishing Company and pres ident of the Chestnut Street National bank and the Chestnut Street Savings Fund and Trust Company, which re cently collapsed. He was a man of affairs and held during his long busi ness career many positions of trust, political and otherwise. QUARANTINE LAWS DISCUSSED. Rouge of ltepregentuttyeg Devote* Itself Strictly to Busin©**. A Washington special says: The house devoted itself strictly to busi ness Thursday ami disposed of thirty additional pages of the sundry civil appropriation bill. government is The fact that the pre paring for contingencies was recog nized when Chairman Cannon, who has been laboring to keep down ap propriations, accepted without a word of protest an amendment to increase the appropriation to care for the un used machinery at the Springfield ar senal. Mr. Gillette explained that necessity for using this machinery might occur at any time. Resolutions which were objected to a few days ago for the appointment of two ex-naval cadets to positions in tlie engineer corps of tlie navy were also adopted. One of them will fill a va cancy caused by the death of Lieuten ant Merritt, of the Maine. Mr. Bayers, democrat, of Texas, criticised the item in the bill placing only the unexpended epidemic funds of past years at the disposal of the quarantine service. He thought $200, 000 additional should lie appropriated. Mr. Cannon said that the largest amount expended in a previous year was $287,000, in 1894. Last year but $134,000 was spent. On February 1, 1898, there was an unexpended bal ance of $340,000. In bis opinion that was sufficient. Mr. Bailey, democrat, of Texas, de clared his belief thnt the matter of quarantine regulations should be left to the states. He was opposed not only to the additional appropriation proposed by bis colleague, but to the use of the unexpended balance provided balance provided for iu the bill. Mr. Sayers pointed out that in event of a recurrence of the yellow fever epidemic this summer after congress adjourns $340,000 might not lie suffi cient to cope with it. He said lie did not want to he held responsible for the failure of funds in the event of an epidemic. The discussion soon drifted into the advisability of the establishment of a national quarantine law. Mr. Car mack, democrat, of Tennessee, advo cated such a law. He said forty-five different systems in as many different states created chaos. Mr. Williams, democrat, of Missis sippi, thought it unfortunate that this great question of a national quarantine bad been precipitated in connection with this appropriation. The people of his state and the board of health of his state believed tlie United States should have exclusive jurisdiction of maritime and coastwise quarantine and were willing to give the federal authorities exclusive and paramount control. Rut once an epidemic got a foothold inside tlie state he insisted that the state should control. Mr. Underwood opposed exclusive control by the federal government. Mr. Bayers moved to increase the appropriation $200,000. Mr, Love, democrat, of Mississippi, advocated the amendment. The Bayers amendment was lost. The following proviso was ruled out on a point of order raised by Chairman Lacey, of the public lands committee, that it was new legislation: “That hereafter no public monies shall bo expended for the survey of any portion of tlie public domain em braced within any forest reserves of the United States except for such sur veys as may be necessary to designate the exterior boundaries of such re serves and of such lands within such reserves ns may be embraced within or covered by legal claims initiated prior to the date of the proclamation of the reservation." On motion of Mr. Devries, democrat, of California,an amendment w as adopt ed appropriating $0,300 for the Yose mite National Park, California. After completing thirty pages of the bill, the committee rose. At 5:15 o’clock p. in. tlie house ad journed. ALLEN’S RESOLUTION Recognizing Cuban Belligerency Dl* oiiKsed for Four Hour* by tli© Senator*. While tlie senate had under con sideration the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill Wednesday, a sharp debate on the Cuban resolution was precipitated by Mr. Allen, of Nebraska, who offered as au amendment the re solution passed by the senate a year ago, recognizing the belligerent rights of the Cuban insurgents. The debate became general and oc cupied nearly four hours. ORDERS TO BUCKLAND. Commander of Connecticut Naval Ituttal ion Goes To Washington* In response to orders from the sec retary of the navy, E. G. Buckland, who commands the naval battalion of Connecticut, left New Haven for Wash ington Thursday. The order received read as follows: “Commander Buckland, of the Wy andotte, will report to the navy de partment at Washington on Friday.” Although nothing definite as to the import of Mr. Buekland’s summons to Washington is known, it is though he is to receive instructions about getting his men ready for service at short no tice if necessity arises. BIO CONTRACTS RIVEN TO ERAL PITTSHURO FIRMS. QUICK DELIVERY IS DEMANDED. Quarter Million Tons Will Il« Forwarded at One© to Key West For the Big Fleet. A Pittsburg, Pa., special states that most extensive orders for coal to be shipped to Key West, given out there by the government, have induced tlie coal barons of that section to become thoroughly impressed with the belief that war with Spain is inevitable and tlieir belief is based upon the conduct of the government officials, who are in position to know what the adminis tration contemplates. It would be almost impossible to make one in that locality believe the government is not preparing for war, and preparing in earnest. In that preparation tlie officials have been necessarily compelled to take the coal mine owners into their confidence, because of the nature of tlie prepara tions, while the general activity the mine owners are showing spreads the war theory. Tlie navy department has just closed contracts with the incorporated firm of Gastner,Curran & Bullitt, of Philadel phia, for tlie delivery at Key West, Sand Keys, Dry Tortugas, Savannah, Charleston and Fortress Monroe of 250,000 tons of Pocahontas coal, and with the Rhodes & Beidler Coal Com pany, of Cleveland, Goshen for the delivery of 50,000 tons of the coal, of that company. The stipulations of the contracts just placed are that the coal so ordered shall be delivered at the designated coaling stations ns soon as it is possi ble to do so, and that the utmost se crecy be observed about the matter. Iu carrying out these contracts the railroads play a most prominent part, and for the purpose of moving every thing as expeditiously as possible President M. E. Ingalls, of the Chesa peake and Ohio; Receiver Oscar G. Murray, of tlie Baltimore and Ohio, and General Manager L. F. Loiree, of the Pennsylvania railroad, went to Washington last week and consulted with Secretary Long, of the navy, and Assistant Secretary George D. Meikle john, of the war department, on the matter. Contracts and all arrangements for the rapid handling and shipping of the coal were made and the government, it is understood, is to pay a bonus to both the coal miners and the railroads if the 300,000 tons are delivered with in a specified time. SPANIARDS MAKE DENIAL. Declare There In No Mine Either Inaiite or Ont.hle Havana Harbor. In view of the widely published re port that the harbor of Havana con tains a system of submarine mines, Seuor Du Bose, Spanish charge d’af fairs at Washington, has made the following statement which, coming from such authority, may be consider ed as an official denial: “I wish to state on my own official knowledge that no mine exists inside or outside of Havana harbor; nor is there any submarine defense of any kind. The report is so absolutely false and ridiculous that it could only have originated in the minds of those persons anxious to iucite the evil pas sions of both nations for their own miserable ends. I consider tlie very suggestion of such a thing an insult to Spain." FULL CABINET MEETING. Fresiilont McKinley ami Him Official Ad visor* Ifav© R Conference. The first full meeting of the cabinet iu some weeks was hekl Friday, both Secretaries Alger ami Sherman, who have been sick, being present. Tim cabinet talked about the Maine disaster at some length as a current topic of vital Interest, but no action was taken. No intimation, it was stated, has yet come from the court of inquiry ns to how long it will be occupied with its work and consequently no conclusion can be reached as to when its report will be available. BRYAN TO VISIT ALABAMA. Nalira.kan Will Make Sav.ral 8p«eeli«s In tli© .State, A Birmingham special says: Hon. William J. Bryan will come to Ala bama March 1st to make a series of speeches at several towns throughout the state, having been invited for that purpose. Ho will come to Tuscaloosa and speak March 1st. His dates for s])eeches are as follows: Tuscaloosa, Tuesday night, March 1. Birmingham, Wednesday night, Marcn 2d. Mobile, Thursday night, March 3d. I’ensacola.Friday night, March 4th Talladoga, nt noon, March 5th. Montgomery, Monday, March 7th, NO. 7. NINE PEOPLE CREMATED. Caught In a Burning Tenement Charleston! S. C. Nine lives were lost in a foarful which raged for a short while Charleston, S. C., Saturday morning. At 2:10 o’clock a policeman on noticed hig sparks flying from the ement house at 100 Church street and he promptly sent m the alarm from the nearest box. The officer found that a blaze was issuing from one of tlie windows on the first floor. The doors were broken open and the fam ily on that floor rushed out without any damage. Some one cried out then that a fam ily of women were sleeping on the third floor. The police rushed up stairs and when they renched the top story the life-saving work was stopped by the flames, which seemed to be playing over the entire building. Screams from tlie dying women were heard and Officer Bagby rushed in and pulled out three charred bodies. The quick work of the fire department checked the Are and it wna soon under control. The dead are: Mrs. Rebecca Kniokmeyer. Albert Oneale. Caswell Oneale. Josephine Knickmeyer, 17 years old. Katie Knickmeyer, 18 years old. Leonora Knickmeyer, i) years old. Frances Knickmeyer, (5 years »old. Baby of Mrs. Knickmeyer, 1 month old. Mrs. Knickmeyer is the wife of Theodore E. Kniokmeyer, a carpen ter, who is also a call man in the tiro department. The other Knickmeyers are all his children, and the O’Neales are his brothers-in-law. ALABAMA BRIGANDS CAPTURED, Reign of Terror Brought To au End In Lamar County. A special from Kennedy, Ala., says: Lamar county, the birthplace of Rube Burrows, is infested with another baud of desperadoes whose deeds of law less ness will go down iu criminal annals alongsido of the record of tlie big brigand who was never captured alive. Under Instructions from Governor Jahnston a detective lias been in the neighborhood for two months and the raid was planned and successfully brought off Saturday when A. W. Ro land, the ringleader; Will McCullagh, Coote Long ami Vester Pate were lodged in jail at Vernon, the county site. The officers are scouring the coun try for Ed Wilson, another of the des peradoes. STEAMER BURNS AT SEA. 81* of Hor Crow PerinH Ktnl Remainder Are lie*©nod. A Boston special says: The steamer Legislator, Captain Tennant, bound from Liverpool from Colon, was burned nt sea February 10th, in lati tude 31:23 north and longitude 44:10 west. The lire broke out on February 18th and burned fiercely for three days, during which time Fireman Thomas Roberts was burned to death, Second Officer James Bateman and Seamen William Angell were drowned by the capsizing of a boat, Third Offi cer Martin and Chief Steward John Gaffney went adrift in another boat and Chief Cook Fred T. Lee, crazed with fearful burns, jumped overboard. The rest of the crew of thirty men, with two passengers—Dr. William E. Mortimer and wife, London —were rescued by the fruit steamer Flower Gate, and landed at Boston Sunday. LOST STEAMER SAVED. Tlie M inning La Champagne Towed Into Halifax By the Roman. A special of Sunday from Halifax, N. H., says: “The 300and odd passen gers on board the French liner La Champagne will rest more soundly tonight than they have for ten days. "Since Thursday two weeks ago, half of which time they have drifted on the Atlantic, the days and nights have been filled with anxiety for their per sonal safety, but tonight they sleep in peace and comfort, safe in the harbor of Halifax, their fears and cares on ac count of danger being dissipated by the happy knowledge that they are no longer at the mercy of the stormy ocean. “After she had drifted for five days on the Newfoundland banks with her engines disabled and the screw shaft the great Boston-bound freight steamer Roman, from Liver pool, came along, picked her up and brought her into Halifax without fur ther mishap of consequence.” MONEY FOR ADMINISTRATION. fleuiitor Hanna Secures Promise* From Prominent Financial Men. The New York Evening World says that Senator Hanna was iu conference last evening with a number of repre sentatives of prominent fiuaucial in stitutions, and that he was given to understand by them that the adminis tration could depend on all the money support necessary to carry out any plan of action that might be deter mined. According to the World, a series of bond issues aggregating $500,000,000 was suggested as a possibility, and was acquiesced in by the assembled fi nanciers.